A Turkish diplomat has been shot dead at a restaurant in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Irbil.
International media report that a gunman opened fire at a restaurant where Turkish diplomats were dinning, killing one and another civilian before fleeing in a car driven by an accomplice. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Reuters quoted two Kurdish security officials and a witness.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said one of those killed was a deputy consul working at its consulate to Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Erbil.
A statement from the Kurdistan region’s internal security service confirmed two people were killed and one other person wounded.
One witness told Reuters that an attacker entered the restaurant and started shooting before he fled in a car that was waiting for him outside.
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, the Kurdish security service and Iraq’s Baghdad-based foreign
Turkey and Iraq enjoy close diplomatic relations, and Ankara has regularly carried out offensives against fighters from Kurdish militants operating from Iraq.
In January, Erdogan warmly welcomed his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih to Ankara during an official visit. During the press conference, Erdogan emphasised the countries’ cooperation in fighting terrorism and said Turkey is determined to deepen its support in the fight against terrorism with Iraq.
